EVEN IN RETIREMENT, LIDDELL ABHORS THE IDEA OF ‘PLAYING-IT-SAFE’ FIGHTING

Out of all of the former and current MMA fighters in the UFC, Hall of Fame light-heavyweight Chuck Liddell is worth listening to.

“I’m not saying I’m always right,” he said, “but I’ve at least earned the right to have an opinion about anything in the sport.”

“The Iceman” earned that right through more than a decade of devastating knockouts delivered by his lethal right hand and precision left hooks. He sat at the throne of the 205-pound division during the height of the UFC’s entry into mainstream popularity and came from the roots of an era of the sport where fighting was driven by the quest to finish opponents, unobstructed by thoughts of big contracts and sponsors or television fame.

“The business side kind of snuck up on us,” Liddell said last month in his home in north Los Angeles.

“It just exploded, but we were just raw. I was just enjoying going out there and fighting, I loved being in there, and I respected guys that after winning 4½ rounds, they’re still out there trying to finish a guy.”

Liddell came into his prime about 10 years ago, earning UFC gold in 2005 and holding the belt for more than two years. From November 2002 to May 2007, all of Liddell’s fights ended by knockout, including three losses. He shared the cage with names like Couture, Ortiz, “Rampage,” Jardine, Overeem, Horn, Evans, Rua and Franklin. He was at the center of what is perhaps the height of the division’s history.

Following three straight knockout losses, Liddell finally conceded to longtime friend Dana White’s wishes for him to look after his health. Liddell retired in December 2010.

These days, he resides in the exclusive Hidden Hills of Los Angeles with his wife, Heidi, and their daughter, Guinevere, 1, as well as his son, Cade, and daughter, Trista.

It can be hard transitioning into “normal” life after fighting, and it’s a change that Liddell didn’t take lightly.

“Would I still like to fight? Yeah, I want to fight,” he said. “But I accepted that that’s where I was at and Father Time caught up with me and that maybe it was better that I didn’t. I’ve got a family, and I get to enjoy my family and I get to do different things, trying the movie thing a little bit. I’ve been on a lot of shows that I like, doing guest appearances and little things. I’m just trying to have fun with being retired.”

Liddell also serves as executive vice president of business development for the UFC, looking to continue to promote and grow the sport he loves.

The current boom of mainstream acceptance of MMA is something that Liddell and the colleagues of his generation began, but it’s at a whole different level now. That business boom seems to also have an impact on the mentality of fighters and what motivates them. Liddell says he feels an overall trend to guys playing it safe.

“I’d really have to talk to the guys to see if that’s really what they’re doing,” he says. “I see it like guys are trying a lot more to just get their win so they can get their next fight. When we were doing it, it was a lot more about just going out and fighting. I hate hearing in a UFC corner, ‘You won the first four rounds, just stay away from him this round.’ ”

That approach, he says, makes sense from a coaching standpoint, but isn’t really the kind of fight he wants to see.

“The guy doesn’t have a knockout punch, hasn’t taken you down the whole fight, why do you have to go be afraid of him?” Liddell said. “Go out and win! Make it exciting, go knock him out, finish the fight.”

Liddell is sure to make clear that he’s not talking about everyone, but a general shift that seems to be connected to economic incentive versus raw desire to be a fighter. Those good old days that the Iceman and his peers built with their own sweat and blood gave a foundation for whatever growth MMA will continue to enjoy.